Aroldis Chapman Drops Anchor in Pittsburgh
Photo Credit: AP
Veteran relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal.
The relief pitcher sweepstakes are officially underway for MLB teams after the Houston Astros signed the best name available in Josh Hader to a massive five-year, $95 million deal. The deal was announced on Saturday, Jan. 20, and since then, teams have been busy making moves and the rumor mill has been buzzing. The Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the said teams, acquiring Aroldis Chapman for one year. Chapman had originally drawn interest from the Orioles(Jon Heyman) and the Angels(MLB Trade Rumors), but they each went a different way, signing Craig Kimbrel and Robert Stephenson, respectively.
Chapman joins his third National League (NL) Central team in what will be his 15th season. The Cuban flamethrower is best known for his many seasons on the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees, but was also an integral part of helping the Chicago Cubs break their 108-year World Series curse in 2016. After performance struggles and off-field issues with the Yankees in 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals for the 2023 season. He was then traded near the deadline to the Texas Rangers, where he went on to win his second World Series. Similar to the Royals last season, the Pirates are another team in a playoff drought who look to get some good production and possible trade value out of Chapman.
Chapman joins a Pirates team that has shown recent signs of life but has not quite had what it takes to fully compete. Despite losing O’Neil Cruz, their exceptionally athletic shortstop, to a fractured ankle in early April, the Pirates got off to a hot start in 2023, winning 20 of their first 30 games. They even held first place in the NL Central as late as Jun 15. This was primarily due to names like Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller. The overall lack of talent eventually began to show, however, and the Pirates finished the season fourth in the NL Central, with a 76-86 record.
Photo Credit: Joe Sargent, Getty Images
This season the Pirates look to pair southpaw Chapman with two-time All-Star closer David Bednar. Bednar has been one of the few bright spots in Pittsburgh over the past three seasons and has kept his earned run average (ERA) under 2.70 since his arrival. While Chapman has been known as a bona fide closing pitcher for most of his career, in recent years, age has hindered his ability to close games out. Chapman only earned six total saves in the entirety of last season. He will not be competing with Bednar for the job of closing pitcher, but will instead be used for setup and middle relief. If he can find his groove, the Pirates will have a lethal one-two punch to finish out close games. It could even be enough to complement this young electric offense to bring Pittsburgh its first playoff berth in nine seasons. If not, he should at least bring in good value at the trade deadline to help the Pirates build a brighter future. Regardless of what happens, this is a win-win for Pirates fans.
